Chapter 4

In the split second when their blades collided, Martineau immediately saw an opportunity for a very different outcome and he wondered why no-one had thought of it. Surely, there must have been other duels where Zorro's opponents had been this close to the bandit, and yet no-one had done it. Before Zorro saw any indication of what his next move would be, the Frenchman swiftly ripped the mask off.

The gathered crowd gasped and a woman cried out as they saw the face of Diego de la Vega.

Diego was stunned at this unexpected but very public unmasking, he had never imagined that the long held secret would be revealed in this way. But it has and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew that his father and Victoria were watching and he had preferred to tell them privately but he had no time to think of the consequences of this action as Martineau quickly went on the offensive. Once more, the battle continued between the two men.

Victoria was still holding onto Don Alejandro's arm as the fierce battle continued when the Frenchman suddenly ripped off Zorro's mask. She let out a scream as she stared disbelievingly at her best friend's face. She felt her legs buckled and would have fallen to the ground if it weren't for the supporting arm of Don Alejandro. Her mind was numb, she couldn't think, she simply could not take in the sight of Diego dressed in Zorro's black clothes. "But...but how...it can't be...it can't be." she whispered.

Don Alejandro gasped as he stared open mouthed at the sight of his son duelling with a talent that he never knew he had. He shook his head, as if to clear his vision but it didn't go away. He still saw his only son fighting with such expertise and skill against the Frenchman that it amazed him. "Diego? My son Diego...is Zorro...but how?" he muttered. He felt Victoria collapse against him and he quickly put his arm around her to prevent her from dropping to the ground.

de Soto was staggered when the mask was ripped off and stared at the face of his archenemy, Diego de la Vega. At first, he thought it was some kind of joke, how could this weak willed, spineless coward that Diego was, be anything like Zorro but as the battle continued, he saw the truth. He gave a maniacal laugh as he realised that he would be returning to Spain as a hero. "I've got him."

It was the sound of steel clashing, brought the shocked citizens attention back to the fight.

Don Alejandro watched the battle with growing pride and a little awe at his son's ability. His son was Zorro! His only son, was the hero of the pueblo, the man who had saved the lives of many innocent people over the last five years. He felt a wave of shame and guilt wash over him at how badly he had treated his son over the years. He wanted to take back all the snide remarks and to tell him that he was sorry, that he was proud of him.

Victoria's heart was pounding so loudly, she was sure that everyone would hear as she watched her best friend fighting for his life. And it was his life that was in danger, now that his identity was known. She was trembling, hot tears flowed down her face. Part of her felt an immense relief that Zorro was someone she knew and liked. But it also meant the death of the man she loved. And she did love him. She had always loved him, she just never realised it before.

Don Alejandro understood this at the same time as Victoria. His son was under a very real threat of death, if not at the hands of Martineau then most certainly by the hands of De Soto. Not if he could help it, he reflected, he would fight to save his son's life. He felt Victoria's shudders and knew of the love between her and...his son.

"Did you know Victoria?' his voice crackled with emotion.

Victoria shook her head. "No, did you?" she whispered back, her voice trembled.

"No, I didn't. I had no idea that Diego was Zorro."

Diego knew from the very moment that the mask was removed, that he would be fighting for his very life. For no matter how the fight with Martineau ended, his life could be over, at the end of a rope. His heart pounded, his hands felt clammy within the thick gloves. He didn't dare look in the direction of his father and Victoria. He couldn't allow any distraction. He had to give all his attention to the man he was fighting.

"STOP" de Soto yelled out. "Stop now de la Vega and or I will arrest your father and the senorita as collaborators."

The two duelling men stopped, but held their swords at the ready, both breathless.

"Leave them out of it. They had nothing to do with this." Diego shouted back, his anger barely contained. He risked a glance at the people he loved and wished he hadn't. de Soto had his lancers surrounding them, with their muskets raised. He saw the pride in his father's eyes but also his fear. His heart stopped as he saw tears in Victoria's eyes.

de Soto laughed aloud. "I can believe that, their looks of disbelief told me that. Especially the senorita, I don't think she would ever speak with you again, after the way you have deceived her all these years."

Victoria knew that the Alcalde was trying to drive a wedge between them and yelled out. "That's what you think Alcalde."

When Diego saw Victoria's warm smile directed at him, he melted at the look of love shining from her. 'Dios she accepts me' he thought as he held her gaze and smiled back.

"Will you surrender, de la Vega?" de Soto said with a smirk on his face. He had the bandit where he wanted him, at his mercy.

A low murmur of discontent began to grow from the gathered crowd.

Diego knew he had no option now but to surrender. The choice was taken away from him when Martineau had removed his mask. He lowered his sword, his sorrow filled eyes never leaving the woman he loved. "I will." he replied in a calm voice.

The murmur rose in volume.

de Soto narrowed his eyes at the sound that came from the restless crowd. "Mendoza, take De la Vaga to the cells, he will hang tomorrow."

The murmurs became shouts of defiance, the crowd started to surge towards the Alcalde and his lancers.

de Soto saw the danger of this angry mob, drew his pistol and fired it in the air. "That's enough!" he yelled as he threw the spent pistol to the ground, then grabbed a musket from a nearby lancer and primed the firing pin. "I will not allow any defiance of my authority. Lancers, ready your muskets and prepare to fire over their heads."

The lancers were startled by this order but they did as they were told.

Diego saw how the crowd was reacting to his arrest and he knew that he had to calm down the dangerous situation before someone was hurt. He held up his hands. "Please hear me, don't do anything rash, I don't want anyone hurt on my account. Please go about your business."

Everyone heard the reason in his words and the crowd slowly moved away, still rumbling amongst themselves.

De Soto felt insulted that the crowd listened to de la Vega and not him or his lancers, but he also realised that his archenemy had indeed save the pueblo from a bloodbath. He would not have hesitated to use lethal force if there had been an uprising. "Lancers take him to the cells." de Soto said in a quieter voice.

"No..." Victoria whispered as she watched the lancers take Diego away. She moved to follow them but Don Alejandro held her back.

"Victoria, don't. We will wait until later to see him, when things are more settled."

She shook her head in confusion. "What?"

Don Alejandro replied. "Everyone is on edge, especially the lancers. Diego was right, if he didn't calm things down, innocent people would have been hurt."

Victoria nodded in understanding but her heart ached as she saw Diego disappear into the cuartel. "Oh Don Alejandro, we must help him, we can't allow him to..."

He nodded. "Of course Victoria, that goes without saying. I will do anything to save him." He looked down at the beautiful woman leaning heavily against him. "You love my son, don't you?" he asked kindly.

Victoria shuddered. "Oh yes, yes I do love him. I didn't realise just how much until now."

Don Alejandro gave her a quick hug. "Come Victoria, let's go inside."

de Soto was all but dancing in glee as he escorted Diego into the cuartel's dirty cell. "Well you certainly led me on a merry chase de la Vega but that's all over now. I've won."

Diego wanted nothing more than to punch de Soto on the nose for his smugness but he refused to be baited, in fact he did the baiting. "Actually you haven't won Ignacio. It was Martineau who won." he smirked as he leant against the bars of the cell.

de Soto shrugged, his high spirits started to drop. "If it wasn't for my letter, he would not have come here."

Diego grinned as he noticed de Soto's flagging enthusiam and decided to press on. "But Ignacio, Martineau will be the one remembered as the man who defeated Zorro, not you. You will only be a small, a very small footnote in the pages of history, while he will go down as one the best swordsman of our time."

de Soto fumed, his previous good mood was almost gone. de la Vega was right, it would be Martineau who would be remembered not him. Well, that won't happen, he reflected, he will make sure that everyone knew that it was him that had brought down the masked bandit. "Hand over your knife." he ordered.

Diego nodded, reached down and pulled his knife from his boot. "Will you leave my family out of this?" he asked as he handed over Sir Edmund's knife.

de Soto smirked as he flipped the blade in the air, his good spirits returning. "Of course, as long as there is no rescue, no rebellion by the good citizens, for if they do, then your father and the tavern wench will hang beside you. Do you agree?'

Diego clinched his fist, he had no choice. "I agree. But if you don't keep your word, I will haunt you from the grave, you will never know peace. That is my promise." he replied coldly.

The two men stared at each other before de Soto smiled. "Very well, your family..."

"And Victoria." Diego added.

De Soto chuckled. "And the senorita will not be charged." With that he turned and strode out of the cells, whistling off-key.

After de Soto left, Diego sighed as he removed his cape, which would serve as a blanket when the heat of the day had disappeared, then he sat down on the small bunk with his back against the cold stone wall in the cell. He had always known that it could end like this, at the end of a hangman's noose. But what he wished more than anything else was to have spared the pain and anguish that his actions had caused his father and Victoria.

He thought about his lady and felt a strange sense of peace wash over him. He had seen her love for him and he realised that his fear of her rejection was baseless. If he had to go to his death, at least he would have the knowledge of her love for him to take with him. He shook his head, if only he had conquered his fear sooner, then they would have had a life together, no matter how short that life may have been. He closed his eyes against his pain, now they would never have that chance.

There was no way that he could escape now that everyone knew his identity. There was no-where to hide, no-where to go. He would be hunted down, no matter where he went. That was no life for either of them. He knew that de Soto would leave his family alone and he found some comfort that they would not hang beside him, that they would be able to get on with their lives.

Diego opened his eyes as he heard keys rattle in the main door.

"Son." Don Alejandro said as he came inside followed by Victoria.

Diego stood and quickly moved to the bars of his cell. He reached through the bars and clasped his father's arm with his right hand and held Victoria's hand in his left. "Father, Victoria. I am sorry about everything. I never meant to deceive you. Please forgive me." he pleaded with them.

"Oh Diego, there's nothing to forgive." Victoria said, trying hard to hold back her tears as she clung to his hand.

"Victoria's right Diego, in fact I should be apologising to you son, for the terrible things I have said..."

Diego shook his head. "Father, please, you don't need to apologise, it wasn't your fault. I had to make sure that neither of you connected me to Zorro."

He turned to his love and gave her a small smile. "This certainly wasn't an option that we had discussed."

Victoria tried to smile but found that she couldn't, it hurt too much. "No it wasn't."

They saw Don Alejandro looking curiously at them.

Diego explained. "Victoria and I, as Zorro, had been discussing the best way for me to unmask so that we can be together."

Don Alejandro saw the sadness that settled over his son. "Diego, I'll get the best lawyers to help us, I'll get de Soto to give you a trial..."

Diego shook his head. "Father, De Soto doesn't need to have a trial. As a bandit, he can hang me anytime he wants, without a trial." he sighed again.

"STOP that Diego." Victoria said irritably, as she bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. "Listen to your father, we will do everything we can to see you through this."

"Oh querida." Diego gently caressed her face. "With you both fighting for me, how could I lose."

"Keep thinking like that Diego, don't give up hope. After all you have given us hope for many years."

Don Alejandro saw the love that his son has for the beautiful tavern owner and understood why Diego had never married before this, even though there was plenty of young available senorita's that would have been willing to be his wife. The love for each other was strong. "I could arrange for the people to help you, they would be more than willing to come to your aid..."

"NO, NO, I don't want any violence done in my name father." he replied in a forceful voice. "It's not what I stood for." He could not tell them of de Soto's threat, it would just make the situation worse. He knew that his father would not tolerate any threats against his family and he feared for what he might do.

Don Alejandro sighed and wondered what else he could do to stop his son from being executed.

"Where's Felipe?" Diego asked, wondering why his son wasn't here with them.

Don Alejandro shook his head. "I haven't seen him since this morning. He was going with Enrique to check the northern most boundaries to help round up some cattle that Enrique believed had strayed there."

Diego nodded. "Of course."

Sergeant Mendoza came to the door. "I'm sorry Don Alejandro, Senorita but time's up." he said sadly, his heart wasn't in his duty, he had always admired both Zorro and Don Diego but he never thought they were the same man.

"Oh no." Victoria whispered.

Don Alejandro nodded and turned back to his son. They clasped hands through the bars, tears welled up in both their eyes. "I'll get you out of here, son. I love you Diego." His voice unsteady with his emotions.

"I love you too father." his own voice none too steady either.

Don Alejandro turned towards the door to give Diego some privacy with Victoria.

"Querida, I wish things had been different." he said softly as he gently caressed her neck in the way she liked it.

Victoria held back her tears as she leant closer to the bars. "I know Diego, I wished that I had paid more attention to you and not to Zorro. Oh Diego."

"Shhh querida." he gently pressed his fingers to her lips. "I love you so much Victoria." he leant towards her.

"I love you too Diego."

They kissed awkwardly through the bars.

"This is not how I had hoped our first kiss, without the mask, would be like." his fingers caressed her face.

"I know."

Sergeant Mendoza's voice interrupted them. "I'm so sorry but I have to ask you to leave now."

Victoria whimpered as she kissed Diego one last time through the bars and then quickly ran from the room so that he wouldn't see her tears.

"Father." his voice cracked with emotion.

Don Alejandro turned back to face his son. "Yes Diego."

"Please take care of Victoria for me, treat her as though she was my wife, as she should have been."

Father and son stared at each other.

"You have my word on that Diego. I am proud of you my son." with that, Don Alejandro left before he broke down completely.

The tavern was busy but Victoria couldn't bear to see to her patrons, of their stares, of their sadness. Some even said that they had known all along that Diego was Zorro. Her heart was breaking; she was barely held herself together as she closed up early and then raced up to her room, glad for once that she had no overnight guests, for Martineau had decided that it would be prudent to leave the area as soon as possible, with the 6000 pesos. She slammed her door, threw herself onto her bed, and sobbed into her pillow.

Don Alejandro was also trying to hold back his grief as he rode home. He would send one of his ranch hands to ride immediately to Santa Barbara and bring back their lawyer. He knew it would take at least two or three days but he had to try. As he dismounted, he saw Felipe ride up.

"Felipe, where have you been, you should have been back long ago." he said more harshly then he meant to.

Felipe started to sign.

"No matter, Diego has been arrested, he's Zorro."

Felipe's face went white at the news of his father's arrest but there was no surprise on his face.

"You knew didn't you?"

Felipe nodded as he turned his horse and galloped towards the pueblo.

Diego was more composed now. He had said goodbyes to his father and Victoria but he wished he could see his son one last time. Without Felipe, there would have been no Zorro.

It was dark by the time Felipe reached the pueblo. He found to his surprise that there was only one guard outside the cuartel. He grinned as he used the darkness as Diego had taught him and slipped past the guard and into the cells.

Diego looked up at the slight noise and saw his son standing by the bars. He smiled as he stood up and went to him. They clasped arms through the bars.

"Felipe, I'm glad that you came."

Felipe signed. "Of course I would father, nothing would have stopped me." he felt his tears flowed down his face. "Let me get you out of here." he signed.

Diego shook his head. "No Felipe, it's too late for that now. I would be hunted down. But I do appreciate the suggestion."

"Is it true, that tomorrow...you are going to..." Felipe couldn't continue.

Diego gripped his arms tighter and nodded. "Yes, Ignacio will hang me tomorrow once the gallows have been completed."

Felipe struggled hard with his emotions. He had lost his parents in a fruitless battle against government soldiers when he was five. And now he was losing another parent. Everyone he loved always died horribly. "NO." he shouted aloud.

Diego was startled to hear his son's voice. "Felipe you yelled." even though the situation was dire, Diego gave him a warm grin.

Felipe nodded, there was so much he wanted to say. He forced himself, he knew how he words sounded, knew how to pronounce them. "Fa...Fa."

Diego held onto his Felipe's arms. "Felipe...You can do it, I know you can." he encouraged the young man.

Felipe tried again. "Fa...her."

Diego had tears of joy running down his face. He had always known that Felipe would speak again. "Once more Felipe, please."

Felipe nodded. "Fa...her...Fa..ther." He grinned and tried one more time. "Father."

They were both crying, holding on tight through the bars.

"I knew you could do it son. I'm proud of you Felipe."

"Father." he said again.

Outside they heard the lancer yawn.

"You must go Felipe."

Felipe nodded as his father continued. "Promise me that you will keep trying to speak. I know that you can do it."

He nodded and tried once more to tell his father how he felt. "Father...lo...lo...yo...yo." Felipe stumbled, frustrated with himself.

Diego saw his struggles and gripped his arm. "I know son, I love you too."